sq inspect

sq inspect inspects metadata (schema/structure, tables, columns) for a source, or for an individual table. When used with --json, the output of sq inspect can be fed into other tools such as jq to enable complex data pipelines.

See the inspect guide for an overview of sq inspect.

sq_inspect_source_text_verbose.png

Reference

Inspect a data source, or a particular table in a source,
listing table details such as column names and row counts, etc.

NOTE: If a schema is large, it may take some time for the command to complete.

If @HANDLE is not provided, the active data source is assumed.

When flag --overview is true, only the source's' metadata is shown,
not the schema. The flag is disregarded when inspecting a table.

When flag --dbprops is true, only the database properties for the source's
*underlying* database are shown. The flag is disregarded when inspecting a table.

Use --verbose with the --text format to see more detail. The --json and --yaml
formats both show extensive detail.

Usage:
  sq inspect [@HANDLE|@HANDLE.TABLE|.TABLE]

Examples:
  # Inspect active data source.
  $ sq inspect

  # Inspect @pg1 data source.
  $ sq inspect @pg1

  # Inspect @pg1 data source, showing verbose output.
  $ sq inspect -v @pg1

  # Show output in JSON (useful for piping to jq).
  $ sq inspect --json @pg1

  # Show output in YAML.
  $ sq inspect --yaml @pg1

  # Show only the DB properties for @pg1.
  $ sq inspect --dbprops @pg1

  # Show only the source metadata (and not schema details).
  $ sq inspect --overview @pg1

  # Inspect table "actor" in @pg1 data source.
  $ sq inspect @pg1.actor

  # Inspect "actor" in active data source.
  $ sq inspect .actor

  # Inspect piped data.
  $ cat data.xlsx | sq inspect

Flags:
  -t, --text        Output text
  -h, --header      Print header row (default true)
  -H, --no-header   Don't print header row
  -j, --json        Output JSON
  -c, --compact     Compact instead of pretty-printed output
  -y, --yaml        Output YAML
  -O, --overview    Show metadata only (no schema)
  -p, --dbprops     Show DB properties only
      --help        help for inspect

Global Flags:
      --config string      Load config from here
      --log                Enable logging
      --log.file string    Path to log file; empty disables logging
      --log.level string   Log level: one of DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR
  -M, --monochrome         Don't colorize output
  -v, --verbose            Verbose output